Pat Craig,
You should have mentioned Town & Country.
John,
I was thinking about mentioning it, even though I wasn't sure if it was an "unexpected find" or not as I had seen your pictures in Jason's thread from last summer and you and I had e-mailed about it prior to me playing the course.
It's interesting that when I spoke with a number of local golfers after moving to the area about their favorite golf courses I heard many of the usual suspects: Interlachen, Minikahda, Hazeltine, Somerset, & sometimes WBYC. I had heard from a couple friends who had said that Town & Country was a "great club with a
goofy golf course."
However, what I saw there when I finally played the course wasn't "goofy" but more good old fashioned quirky.
A few neat features/facts about Town & Country:
*It's the 2nd oldest golf course still being played on its original site in the United States (the Club dates to 1888, the golf course was built in ~1892-1893). The only course older is Shinnecock Hills
*Is on a really neat property which sits on the eastern bluff above the Mississippi River and is bisected by a ravine
*Total golf course property is barely 90 acres, but the course is 6400 yards
*There is a great old fashioned driving range which is steps from the first tee and is used mainly to beat a few irons into a huge, steep, hill before teeing off.
*The greens are really severe at modern green speeds, and putting off greens is a common occurrence, even for great putters.
*At least 6 blind shots (and depending on positioning opportunities semi-blind shots)
*The first three holes go: ~325 yard par 4, ~125 yard par-3, ~165 yard par-3
*The final five holes go ~240 yard par-3, ~530 par-5, ~525 Par 5, ~560 par-5, ~170 par-3.
*There are a number of really unique and fun shots around the course, including a drop-2nd-shot on the par-4 9th which gives you a great view of the River, the Marshall St. bridge, and the Minneapolis skyline (~4 miles away). There is also a fun ~120 yard uphill par-3 2nd hole which yields just as many birdies as double bogeys. A "benched" green at the Par-4 10th. A blind downhill 3rd shot on the Par-5 15th hole. A drivable ~280 yard par-4 with a tiny green surrounded by deep bunkers. And a 2nd shot on a 460 yard Par-4 which must carry a 40ft high steep hill.
T&C is a really fun and unique golf course which doesn't get talked about much on a local level, and not at all on a national level, but is really interesting and worth checking out if in the area. I hope to get out a few times this summer to take pictures and next fall or winter post an extensive photo tour of the course.
Hopefully Mr. Mayhugh will chime in with his thoughts on the course as well as a "unexpected find" as he saw it before me while on a trip to the area last summer.